Unexpected Help
by LiveTake
Summary: Natsu is left feeling rather helpless after messing up in a big way during the last mission he had participated in with Lucy. If you asked him, he'd probably blame it on the client being a huge jerk. Whatever the case may be, he makes the decision(mistake?) to tell a certain duo of his troubles. Which unlikely characters will step up to help Natsu in his time of need?
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, bastard! I heard you were talkin' smack about me behind my back!"

"What the hell are you talking about!? A real man talks smack right to his opponent's face!"

"So I'm an opponent now, huh? Alright bring it on!"

"Looks like those two are havin' themselves a ball, Lily. Let's join in!"

"Gajeel, don't!...ugh"

And with that, a typical day in the Fairy Tail guild began, filled with name-calling, fighting, and general all-out chaos. Except something...or rather, some_one_ was missing from the festivities.

"Aren't you going to join them, Natsu?" the beautiful barmaid of Fairy Tail inquired of the lad in front of her.

"Nah, I'm not...feelin' it today." was the response that the salmon-haired Dragon Slayer gave her.

Needless to say, this was not the response Mirajane had wanted, or expected, from the fiery Natsu Dragneel. _And to think, I went through the trouble of using my Take-Over to turn into Elfman and say all those dirty things about Gray before he got to the guild_, she thought to herself wistfully. Despite the fact that her plan had produced the fight it was supposed to - with the added bonus of Gajeel joining in as well - the hail of fists was missing the fireworks that the person she was trying to cheer up should've been causing.

It concerned the ever-thoughtful Mirajane that Natsu had walked into the guild earlier in the morning with a noticeable lack of energy, and then promptly plopped his head down on the bar counter, offering her a weak hello before going silent. Aggravated that her genius plan had failed, she contemplated her next step before seeing her younger sister walk in through the guild doors.

"Hey, Mira-nee! Natsu!" the perky girl greeted.

"Good morning, Lisanna." Mirajane responded, her smile bright as ever.

Between the two bright, beaming, beautiful ladies - a position that the more perverted members of the guild would have killed to be in - Natsu lifted his head, though barely, and gave a weak wave of acknowledgement to his childhood friend.

"Aww, what's wrong, Natsu?" Lisanna questioned, her face etched with concern. "It's not like you to be so...dull. Are you sick?"

The Fire Dragon Slayer looked at his worried friend and tried to give her a smile. "Nah, I'm fine" he told her, not sure if he was trying to convince Lisanna, or if he was trying to convince himself.

"You're not fooling anyone." asserted the younger Strauss sister with a pout on her face.

"Why don't you tell us what the problem is, Natsu?" Mirajane spoke up. "Maybe we can help."

Natsu sighed. Normally, he'd be caught dead before divulging personal information to the two girls in front of him, but this time, he felt that his particular problem might need a...girly touch to solve. Sitting up in his seat for the first time since entering the guild, he contemplated if he really wanted to confide his problem to the two girls in front of him. _Am I really about to do this?_ he thought to himself.

However, feeling a sense of defeat, he took a big breath and started cautiously, "It's not that I _am _sick...but" the not-so-good-with-words Dragon Slayer began. "But I _feel_ sick?" he concluded, his statement sounding more like a question.

"What do you mean?" the two sisters asked him, simultaneously.

"I failed her." Natsu answered simply.

Lisanna was about to ask who he had failed, when she heard her older sister give off a light giggle.

"It's about Lucy, isn't it?" the resident Romantic of Fairy Tail stated.

Lisanna's eyes widened as she looked back at her longtime friend, realizing the implications of her sister's question. The Dragon Slayer slouched down in his seat again as he put his chin on the table. Both girls watched his every movement before he let out a long sigh, and then a groan of acknowledgement.

The silver-haired sisters immediately darted their eyes towards each another, both thinking the same thought. _Is it finally happening?_

Clearing her mind and putting on her best poker face, which in her case was her signature smile, Mirajane advanced her line of questioning cautiously. The first order of business was to get to the bottom of his alleged failure of his best friend.

"How did you fail her?" the barmaid began, trying to sound as innocuous as possible.

The Dragon Slayer sighed pensively as he attempted to recall the events of the mission that he and Lucy had gone on.

"I punched our client in his face and cost Lucy all of her rent money." he concluded, without delving into specifics.

Mirajane felt as if she was about to facepalm herself before gathering her senses. _Remember who it is you're dealing with here_ she reminded herself.

"Okay, but _why_ did you do that?" Mirajane pressed forward, before getting quite the shock as the Dragon Slayer finally lived up to his elemental affinity for the first time that day. Mirajane was almost convinced that she could see a literal fire in Natsu's eyes.

"That bastard was hitting on her and feeling her up the entire time." he began with a snarl in his voice, before simmering down a bit. His expression then turned into one of pensiveness, which didn't surprise the Strauss sisters that much, as he was known to change moods in the blink of an eye. "Something about that made me feel...strange." he concluded, his voice markedly weaker than when he had first begun his explanation.

Despite how adorable the two girls were beginning to find Natsu, there was something that bothered Lisanna. "I thought you screwed up your missions with Lucy all the time, though, Natsu." the younger Strauss sister questioned of her friend.

"Well, yeah." the Dragon Slayer started, as he attempted to explain his dilemma. "But we usually get at least some of the reward money for finishing the mission. But obviously he's not obligated to pay up after being assaulted."

The sisters waited patiently as he looked like he had something more to say.

"I failed her. I failed her beyond my wildest dreams and expectations. And now she's so mad at me that she won't even talk to me." Natsu concluded, his voice laced with depression and defeat.

It took a great deal of restraint for both his sympathetic listeners to not flat-out glomp him at that moment. The newly shy-with-his-feelings and painfully thoughtful Natsu was simply too cute for them. However, the notorious Matchmaking Demon of Fairy Tail recognized this as her chance to set in motion something that was a long time coming, in her mind. _I __**will**__ get these two together, if it's the last thing I do! _she determinedly resolved. And what better way to do that, than to attack his emotions with the biggest shock she could muster when he was at his most vulnerable, she decided.

"Oh, Natsu." the barmaid cooed, coaxing the boy to look up at her. "You're in love with sweet, little Lucy, aren't you?" she asked of him, her voice sickeningly sugary for added emphasis. Lisanna covered her mouth with both hands in surprise. _Mira-nee...so bold!_

Equally in disbelief, though over something other than Mirajane's boldness, the Dragon Slayer widened his eyes in protest. "Wha-What are you talking about, Mira!?" he managed to stammer out.

"Whoa, what's gotten your panties all up in a bunch?"

Mirajane and Lisanna looked up to see Gray and Elfman walking towards the commotion Natsu had just made.

"Elfman." the barmaid called out to her younger brother.

"What is it, Nee-chan?"

"Didn't you say that Gray was 'so unmanly he wouldn't even be able to get Juvia's panties wet, despite the fact that she's made of rain'?" Mirajane asked, her voice betraying none of her evil intentions.

"Wait, when did I -"

"That's the last straw, jackass!"

"A manly man will destroy whoever calls him a jackass!"

Fists once again flew, throwing caution the wind, as Mirajane smiled devilishly at the scene she'd managed to cause. She wasn't normally one to stir the pot with such vile words, but... She looked down at Natsu, who was still in disbelief and shock over the idea of being in love that Mirajane had implanted in his head. _This is going to be fun, _the silver haired demon decided to herself. _Very fun_.

* * *

Chapter 1 of my new story! As always, read, (Please) review, or do whatever you like. Reviews are helpful in motivating me, which is vital since I'm one of the most unmotivated people on the face of the Earth. :P I think I can have a good degree of fun with this story, and I'm sensing a 5-chapter fic with this one. Read away, y'all :D


	2. Chapter 2

Despite the chaos around him, Natsu Dragneel's mind was now centered upon one matter, concerning a certain Celestial Spirit Mage. Fairy Tail's resident busybody, Mirajane, had planted quite the seed within the poor Dragon Slayer's head, and Natsu's overactive thoughts only served to water that seed as it began to take shape within his mind.

_In love...with Lucy!? I can't be in love with her. She's a complete weirdo! _Natsu attempted to rationalize to himself.

"Trust me, Natsu." Mirajane spoke up, shaking the salmon-haired mage out of his thoughts. "You and Lucy show all the signs of two people in love. You'd make such a cute couple!" she concluded. Though her voice was soft, her words were like daggers piercing through the Dragon Slayer's heart. Images of him and Lucy as a pair began to pop up in his head.

Attempting to shake off these thoughts, he attempted to oppose Mirajane's notion of love when Lisanna put in her two cents as well.

"Mira-nee's totally right, Natsu. You two are always doing missions and hanging out together. You fight and you make up...just like a real couple!" the younger Strauss sister asserted. Mirajane beamed at her little sister. The silver-haired Demon matchmaker was certain that their combined efforts would shine a light through Natsu's notorious density. He and Lucy would be together forever, and they'd have a bunch of babies, and...

"Mira-nee!" Lisanna whispered to her older sister, sensing her distractedness.

Mirajane snapped back to reality and gave her sister a discreet look of thanks. There were to be no distractions if their mission was to be completed, she resolved.

"Gah! Why does it have to be that way?" Natsu whined at the two girls in front of him. "Why can't the two of us just be friends?" He was beginning to regret having dragged those two into it.

"Sure, the two of you can be 'just friends' " Mirajane began. With anyone else, Natsu would've breathed a sigh of relief and be glad that they saw it his way, but he knew better with Mirajane. Everything concerning those damn lovey-dovey feelings had to have a catch with her. "But then again, why would you get so mad at your client for trying to get a little comfortable with your dear Lucy?" Mirajane finished with a smile on her face. And there was the catch. He didn't appreciate those adjectives Mirajane was sticking in front of Lucy's name, either. They only served to bring up images of Lucy that he didn't want in his head.

"He was disrespecting her." Natsu growled. "Lucy deserves better than that."

"Might I ask what you're talking about?"

* * *

The two Strauss sisters, along with Natsu, froze completely in their tracks. In the Dragon Slayer's case, he was beginning to hope that a certain pervert, stripper bastard would literally come over and freeze him. He turned around slowly, feeling sweat drip out of his pores, only to look up and find exactly who he was afraid of seeing at that moment.

"Hi, Lucy!" the two Strauss sisters greeted her, with suspicious smiles on their faces.

"Hey, Mira-san, Lisanna." the Celestial Spirit Mage waved back, warily. She didn't like the combination of those two talking to Natsu and that last statement he'd just made. She looked back down at the person who had cost her all of the reward money on their latest mission, only to find him giving her a rather strange look. She felt as if he was both staring at her, but lost in thought at the same time. Lucy wasn't too surprised, however. One never quite knew what to expect of Natsu Dragneel.

"Weeelll, we better leave you two alone, now." Mirajane said, quickly dragging Lisanna away with her as well.

"We already know what's up, Mira-nee." Lisanna whined, as she was being dragged away rather forcefully by her older sister. "Why can't we stay and watch?"

"You still have a lot to learn about love, Lisanna." Mirajane reprimanded her little sister. "We'd only have been a hindrance to those two. Only through isolation can their truest feelings shine through to each other!" Mirajane concluded, a starry passion within her eyes.

"I guess you're right..." Lisanna conceded. She knew better than to contend with her big sister when it came to this sort of thing.

Meanwhile, Mirajane knew Natsu well enough to know that any random thought could spiral into an out-of-control tangent within his mind, and this was her ultimate ploy. _Let's see how you deal with this situation, Natsu_, she thought to herself, a demonic look creeping its way to her face.

* * *

Chapter 2, folks! I realize this one might be a little slow, but bear with me. There will be a bit more progress in the next chapter. I actually have that one written already, so stay tuned! It's quite the doozy, if I say so myself. As always, please read, review, favorite, follow, or do what you want. :P Everyone's input really does mean a lot to me, so don't hesitate to make my e-mail inbox blink with notifications!

P.S: On a little sidenote, for those of you who watch the anime, I know I wasn't the only one who caught that little..uh..'moment'. I understand most of the episode was filler anyway, but that's quite an interpersonal thing to take such liberties with, don't you think? Anyway, I realize I'm ranting a bit here, so yeah. Just my thoughts on what we all saw. :D


	3. Chapter 3

Though slightly afraid of what the two Strauss sisters might've been up to, the Celestial Spirit Mage decided that she might as well get down to the bottom of this whole situation.

"...You okay there, Natsu?" Lucy spoke up, gingerly taking a seat next to the Dragon Slayer.

"Hey, Luce. I -" Natsu felt his heart about to spill over in heartfelt apology before his friend cut him off, momentarily stemming the tide.

"So, uh, what were you talking about back there?"

"Whaddya mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Natsu." Lucy stated simply. She'd be damned if she was going to let Natsu weasel his way out of this one.

Natsu sighed, before closing his eyes, trying to figure out how he was going to approach this. As he was doing so, Lucy studied him closely. Truth be told, she simply couldn't bring herself to feel any sort of lasting anger at her friend. When things got serious, he was always there with his monstrous Dragon Slayer magic, and a kind smile that made her feel as if everything would turn out okay, no matter how bad the odds. Still, however, screwing up a mission _that_ badly, to the point that they couldn't receive any of the reward was something new. Even for Natsu.

"We were, uh, talkin' about how I messed things up for you on that last mission, Luce." the Dragon Slayer confessed. Lucy looked closely at her friend's honest eyes. She had learned over all the time they spent together that his eyes were like windows to his innermost emotions. Happiness, anger, sorrow, no matter what it was, Natsu wasn't one who could be subtle about any of his feelings. The blonde mage found herself captivated by what his eyes were currently conveying. She saw a deeply troubled and conflicted look within his eyes. _He's so cute when he's like this.._ the Celestial Spirit Mage found herself thinking. However, she decided to feign some lingering distance between the two of them in order to get some answers. _He owes me for having to go to Erza and beg for this month's rent money, anyway_ Lucy rationalized.

"So, why _did_ you go berserk and punch our client in the face?" the blonde continued. "And what exactly did I 'deserve better' than?"

Natsu gulped. He was hoping with all his might that she was just curious about his conversation with Mirajane and Lisanna. To his dismay, however, she had indeed heard his emotionally charged comment about her. He tried to explain his side of the story as calmly as he could, but he found a familiar annoyance rising up in very being as he was forced to recall the memory of that person getting all lovey-dovey with his partner again. Emphasis on _his_ partner.

"That piece of - I mean - that _guy_ was being rude towards you, Luce." Natsu explained, trying his best to keep his tone even. "You're a princess, just like Virgo calls you, and you deserve way better than a jerk like that feelin' up on you and disrespecting you like that."

It took a few seconds for Lucy to process what Natsu had just said. And when her mind sufficiently broke down the data into coherent analyses, she was in utter disbelief. Her thoughts immediately darted to the possibility that Natsu was ribbing her, but she knew full well that the dense Dragon Slayer didn't understand, or make, those sorts of jokes. That would be more Happy-esque, if anything. In all honesty though, she couldn't have come up with a better compliment from a better person herself. _A princess? Does he even know what he's saying?_ Despite her disbelief, she felt herself heating up, and even more so when she dared to look into his eyes. Within his gaze held a passion that she remembered from all those times he swore to protect her and everybody else, a passion that made her feel as if anything was possible. _Even the two of us being together...wait, ugh!_ The Celestial Spirit Mage felt the urge to kick herself for thinking that thought. She didn't dislike Natsu, that much was obvious. However, even the stubborn Lucy Heartfilia couldn't deny to herself that she definitely felt..._something_ for her partner. But she was scared, utterly scared of the possibility that allowing those feelings to take control would harm her friendship with the Dragon Slayer. If there was one person she couldn't afford to lose, it was her overactive, insane, psycho of a best friend. So she would resolve to let those feelings lie dormant, and convince herself that she had nothing more than a simple, innocent crush on her friend. And seeing as how they were the best of friends, Lucy decided that a little teasing couldn't hurt.

"I didn't take you for the jealous type, Natsu." the blonde giggled, a devilish smirk on her face.

"Jealous!? Me!?" the Dragon Slayer exploded, and was about to defend his honor with everything he could muster when a very simple action by his partner completely shut down his mental processes.

Lucy had reached over to pat Natsu on his cotton-candy colored hair, and was stroking his locks as if petting a cat. Natsu felt a bizarre urge to meow.

"I'm just teasing you, silly." the Celestial Spirit Mage winked at her partner. Natsu was grateful for the fact that he was sitting in a chair as he felt his limbs lose their power momentarily at Lucy's wink. Every little move she made was melting away at his heart. _It's like I'm under a spell or somethin'...Mirajane must've put something weird in my drink. I'm feeling dizzy. _Suddenly realizing what he had originally set out to do, Natsu snapped himself out of his thoughts and faced Lucy with a serious look in his eyes, causing his partner to gulp nervously.

"Listen...Luce," the Dragon Slayer started. "I know I failed you miserably on that last mission, but I'll make it up to you, I swear. And, uh, sorry for bein' such an idiot back there." Natsu finished, relieved that he had managed to get that apology off his chest. It wouldn't mean anything if Lucy didn't accept it, though, so he looked up at her, anxiously awaiting a response.

Lucy Heartfilia gazed at the apologetic dope in front of her, her eyes (and heart) softening at his apology.

"I know you only ever mean well for me, Natsu." the blonde admitted softly to her partner. "Thanks for always looking out for me...and thanks for calling me a princess. too." she concluded, a soft smile gracing her features.

The Dragon Slayer looked at his best friend and offered her a beaming smile of his own in return. "Sure thing, Hime-sama!"

Lucy felt a blush creeping up to her face despite herself. "I didn't mean for you to start calling me that from now on, silly."

"Hehe, my bad, Luce."

"That's better."

And so, a comfortable silence descended upon the pair, both glad to have gotten their feelings across to the other. Perhaps not their innermost feelings, but those could wait. Realizing that there was still a whole day ahead of them, the Celestial Spirit Mage decided upon a way that the Dragon Slayer could repay her.

"Seeing as how you still owe me, though..." Lucy began, putting a finger to her chin. "How about a day out on the town, your treat?" she offered, a bright smile on her face.

The Dragon Slayer gulped. He'd always heard rumors of how much money women could spend. "Yeah, uh, sure thing, Luce." he agreed, also with a smile on his face. However, his was one of trepidation. _Looks like I'll be cutting back on food costs for a bit._

With a mix of fear and anxiety swelling within him, Natsu got up off his stool for the first time that day and prepared to exit with Lucy when he saw her partner stretch out her arm towards him. The salmon-haired mage raised an eyebrow curiously at his partner's peculiar action.

"Help me off, Natsu." Lucy pouted at her partner.

The Dragon Slayer sweatdropped. "A-Are you serious?"

"I'm your princess aren't I?" Lucy giggled as she stuck her tongue out. "Help. Me. Off."

Natsu groaned and took her hand in his as he gently pulled her off the barstool. He eyed his partner suspiciously as she smiled back at him.

"What?" Lucy asked, a playful tone in her voice. "This is going to be fun." she stated.

"Yeah, for you, maybe." the Dragon Slayer began to voice his discontent, before his friend did something rather strange.

Looping an arm into her partner's, Lucy placed her head on his shoulder and sighed contentedly. Contrary to the blonde's seemingly serene state, Natsu felt chaos within his heart.

"Shall we go, Natsu?" Lucy purred, her voice causing Natsu's heart to beat faster.

Looking down at his partner, Natsu found himself wishing they could be like this more often. However, a thought suddenly struck him. _Wait...isn't this sort of like a date!?_

As the newly reconciled pair made their way out of the guild, Mirajane chuckled demonically to herself. _Hehehe this is going beautifully..._

* * *

Chapter 3 is up! As always, read, review, favorite, follow, or do whatever you want. Your input and feedback do mean a lot to me, so don't hesitate to make my e-mail inbox blink with notifications! They make me feel happy :D


	4. Chapter 4

Lost in their own little world, Natsu and Lucy exited the guild, neither of them noticing the murmurs beginning to stir up between some of their fellow guild members. One felt a sense of excitement and happiness over the thought of spending time with her partner outside of the usual setting of their frantic missions, while the other was considerably less at-ease with what was about to unfold.

"What are we going to do first, Natsu?" the Celestial Spirit Mage inquired sweetly of her friend, as she put her hand in his and swung his arm back and forth, a bright smile plastered on her face.

The Dragon Slayer, on the other hand, was beginning to feel a little queasy at what his partner was doing...and saying...and just _being_ her. _Maybe Lucy's actually a vehicle..._ Natsu contemplated to himself, though he quickly shook that thought off. Lucy was far too precious of a friend to be some sort of vehicle. Still though, she was starting to make him feel things that he'd never felt before. The salmon-haired mage couldn't quite determine if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"It's your day, isn't it?" Natsu deferred. "You pick what you wanna do."

Lucy giggled at her friend's attempt to be polite. Though he was lacking just a bit in the social tact department, Lucy wouldn't have her Natsu any other way. _**My**_ _Natsu?_ The blonde sighed to herself. She wished that her partner didn't bring up those kinds of feelings within her, but she couldn't help what her heart dictated. As time went on, she found herself thinking of the Dragon Slayer's unique qualities more and more, drawn in by everything that was Natsu Dragneel. And every time her thoughts wandered over to that area, she found herself slowly coming to the notion that being with Natsu...might not be so bad. In fact, it had the potential to be something special. But those thoughts would always be accompanied by the fact that Natsu showed little interest in anything having to do with girls, or love, or anything of the sort.

"Well..." Lucy began, thinking of what she wanted to do first on her special day with Natsu. "Let's go shopping for some clothes first! I've been wanting to get a new outfit for a while, now."

The Dragon Slayer sighed at his partner's proposal. "Do you really need more clothes, Luce?" he questioned. "You have, like, the most outfits out of anyone in the guild."

"But Natsuu" the blonde whined to her partner. "I thought this was supposed to be _my_ special day." she asserted, a playful pout on her face.

"Fine, fine." Natsu conceded, causing his partner to squeal in delight as they made their way towards Heart Kreuz, the premier clothing store for young females in Magnolia. Once inside the store, Natsu immediately felt as if his senses were under attack. Heavy perfumes assaulted his nose, and the high pitched chatter of women all around the store pierced his ears. _I think I'm gonna be sick_ the Dragon Slayer thought to himself. While Lucy was enjoying herself thoroughly as she looked around the store for something she liked, she began to sense her partner's unease.

"Umm, Natsu" the Celestial Spirit Mage began tentatively. "If you don't like this place we can go somewhere else" she offered, not wanting to upset her friend.

"N-No, it's alright." Natsu began, though his voice betrayed his obvious discomfort. "It's Lucy's special day, after all." he concluded, a weak smile on his face.

The blonde regarded her partner fondly. Even when it came to shopping, he was always looking out for her.

"I'll just take a seat over there." the Dragon Slayer spoke up, moving over to the closest seat to prevent from collapsing.

Lucy giggled at her partner's discomfort. She knew it wasn't right to laugh at another person's pain, especially not her best friend's, but the same Natsu Dragneel who could conjure up fire from his body to defeat the toughest of opponents...being bested by a women's clothing store, was simply comedic gold.

"Alright" Lucy affirmed, giving her partner a little rub of his hair. "I'll make it quick!" she promised, moving quickly around the store to look for articles of clothing that she liked.

The Dragon Slayer watched his partner closely as she darted around the store. He found that concentrating on her was lessening the effects of the rather strong sensations of this shopping institution. As Natsu continued to focus on Lucy, his thoughts began to wander over to her as well. More and more, Natsu was beginning to find that having Lucy around just made things...better. She was like a calming influence to his brash nature. Spending time with her made him appreciate that he'd manage to find someone like her. He loved everyone in Fairy Tail, but he found that Lucy was the most stabilizing force he could ask for in his life. She wasn't someone who he wanted to pulverize all the time (Gray), nor was she someone who he lived in fear of all the time (Erza). She was simply Lucy, someone who he wanted be with all the time.

As Natsu continued to watch his partner, the blonde turned around and offered him a quick wave before going into a changing room. Natsu waved back weakly, only for his over-sensitive hearing to pick up some giggles and casual references to him and Lucy being boyfriend and girlfriend. The Dragon Slayer quickly turned around to shoot a glare at the offending parties, only to elicit more giggles from the nosy women. Natsu groaned and put his head down in defeat. It was no use. Everything and everyone was just too weird here.

"I'm back!" the Celestial Spirit Mage chirped happily as she patted the pink-haired mage on his head. Natsu looked up and felt his eyes widen despite himself. In typical Natsu-fashion, he had pictured his partner coming out in some extravagantly boisterous outfit, but his eyes were telling him a different story. The Dragon Slayer stared at a simple red shirt and white mini-skirt that both accentuated her figure but wasn't overly showy. To top off her look was a matching red ribbon tying up her hair.

"So, uhh..." Lucy began, shyly looking at her partner. "How do I look?"

The question posed to him shook Natsu out of his thoughts. "You look great!" he responded, his signature smile plastered on his face. "You, uh, you should wear red more often." he concluded, his voice much softer than when he gave his initial comliment.

Lucy blushed at her partner's words. "Maybe I'll wear these clothes just for you, then." she stated with a soft giggle, not sure if she was actually trying to flirt with Natsu. The Dragon Slayer gave his partner a confused look.

"Wouldn't everyone else see them if you wore them outside?" the dense Natsu Dragneel attempted to reason. "Unless you're only going wear them when we're at your place...which would be weird."

The blonde sighed to herself at the Dragon Slayer's infamous cluelessness. She wondered how much longer she could keep this up without flat out kissing the moron right on the lips. That she had actually tried to use a flirty line with Natsu told her that moment might come sooner than she expected.

As Lucy went back to the dressing room to change into her previous outfit, Natsu found his mind drifting to his partner's last statement. _Just for me, huh?_ he contemplated. He wasn't sure what to make of that statement at first, but the more he thought about it, the more he liked the sound of it. Lucy doing things _just for him_ sounded great. Awesome, in fact. That would mean that he at least had a special place in her heart. _Her heart?_ he groaned as thought of those words. _I'm turning into Mirajane and Lisanna._

As the two got on line to pay for Lucy's new clothes, a thought suddenly came to the Dragon Slayer. "Oh yeah!" he exclaimed at his sudden realization. "Are you going to be able to pay this month's rent after I screwed up our last mission?"

Lucy had to laugh at how long it took Natsu to come to that thought. "I had to ask Erza, but everything went fine." she replied, knowing that adding that last disclaimer was probably best with things that concerned Erza. Despite her assurance, however, beads of sweat ran down Natu's face anyway.

"You didn't happen to tell her about..._**why **_you needed the money, did you?" the Dragon Slayer asked, fearing what was to come the next time he saw Fairy Tai's Titania.

"Uhh..I kind of had to. Erza was mad at you at first, but I managed to calm her down. I don't think you'll have any problems with her." Lucy said, trying to reassure her partner.

At these words, Natsu breathed a sigh of relief. "You're the best, Luce!" he proclaimed, eliciting a blush from his friend. "So, what did you say to her anyway?" he asked, trying to see if he could pick up some tips for dealing with the volatile Erza Scarlet.

Already blushing from Natsu's compliment, the blonde's blush deepened as she remembered her conversation with Erza.

* * *

_"Lucy?" Erza questioned as she approached the Celestial Spirit Mage. "Oh, so it is you! Hello, Lucy."_

_"Hey, Erza." the blonde waved back with a smile on her face. Despite her smile however, Lucy was dreading what she was about to have to ask of the Requip Mage. _

_"So, what brings you here to Fairy Hills? You don't come here often." Erza inquired of Lucy. _

_"Umm, I'm kind of in a pinch and I need your help." the blonde replied. _

_"Oh? Are there people who need to be punished for messing with Lucy?" the red-haired woman asked with a murderous glint in her eyes. _

_"No, no, no." Lucy assured Erza quickly. She never liked it when Erza got like that. "Well, I, uhh, I need to borrow some rent money for this month." she sputtered out quickly, ashamed that she had to ask Erza for this particular favor. _

_"But didn't you just go on a mission with Natsu?"_

_"He, uh, sorta messed up big time."_

_"That is unacceptable. I will have to discipline him immediately." the Requip mage stated, the murderous look once again returning to her eyes._

_"It wasn't really his fault..." the blonde replied, looking down as she recalled what had happened during the mission._

_"Really, now?" Erza asked, finding that hard to believe. "What did he do, then?"_

_"He punched our client in the face."_

_"..."_

_"I know that sounds bad, but -" Lucy tried to explain before she was cut off._

_"Was the client behaving in an unseemly manner towards you?"_

_Lucy was surprised at Erza's assumption. She had actually managed to hit the nail right on the head...but how? "How did you know that?..." the blonde inquired of Erza suspiciously. _

_A dangerous look once again washed over Erza's features, though this time it wasn't one of murderous intent. This particular look was accompanied by a rather sinister-looking smile on the face of the redhead. "Oh ho ho. It seems that Natsu couldn't contain his jealousy." Erza stated with a chuckle._

_Lucy could hardly believe her ears at what the Requip Mage was implying. "What? Natsu? Jealous? Come on. That can't be -" the blonde attempted to reason with Erza before getting cut off again._

_"In any event." Erza started. "I can loan you the required amount for your rent this month. And also I've been thinking..."_

_"About?" Lucy questioned tentatively, not liking where this was going. She was taken aback as Erza responded by looking her square in the eye with a serious expression on her face. _

_"You and Natsu would make a fantastic couple. If the two of you were to get together, you have my blessings." the redhead concluded, a smile on her face._

_Lucy reddened immediately. She wanted to defend herself but couldn't find the words to do it. _

_"Anyway." Erza continued. "Do try not to be too mad at Natsu for his feelings. It's never a good thing to hold grudges against those we love." the Requip mage finished, her voice soft and wistful. Lucy softened her expression as well, knowing full well what, and who, was on her friend's mind.. She offered Erza a comforting pat on the shoulder, before they went into the dormitory to retrieve her much-needed rent money._

* * *

"Hey, Luce, you in there?" the Dragon Slayer asked as he put his face close to his partner's, looking for a reaction. Lucy jumped a bit as Natsu's voice shook her out of her recollection of what had happened with Erza.

"We...talked about girly things." Lucy spoke up, answering Natsu's question. "You wouldn't want to know." she concluded. Natsu didn't press any further, not particularly interested in 'girly things'.

"What're we gonna do next?" he asked instead.

"Hmmm, I'm kind of hungry." the blonde admitted. "Let's go get something to ea - wah!" she squealed as Natsu cut off her off by grabbing her hand and running with all his might to the nearest restaurant.

"I thought we'd never get to eat!" the Dragon Slayer exclaimed as he looked back at Lucy with his signature fang-baring grin.

"At least slow down a bit, Natsu!" Lucy squealed as Natsu continued to drag her along at mach speed. ..._At least we'd have Erza's blessings if I ever got together with this idiot..._ she thought to herself with a blush as she regarded the lunatic dragging her around the streets of Magnolia.

* * *

There you have it folks, chapter 4! This one was a bit long, and I debated splitting it into two chapters, but I really think it reads better as one chapter. Anyway, as always, please read, review, favorite, follow, all those good things! Or do whatever you want, no one's forcin' ya to do anything here. :D Your input really does mean a lot to me though, so don't hesitate to make my e-mail inbox light up with notifications. It makes me happy! :P


	5. Chapter 5

With food reigning supreme on his mind, the Fire Dragon Slayer weaved his way through the crowds, dodging people, food stands, and oncoming carts alike as he made his way towards a suitable eating establishment.

"Do you even know where you're going, Natsu!?" the Celestial Spirit Mage shrieked as Natsu continued to drag her around town, all of his sharp twists and turns magnified one hundred-fold for the unsuspecting Lucy.

" 'Course I do, Luce!" the salmon-haired dolt assured his partner. "I've got a great sense of smell, remember?"

Lucy sighed inwardly. Sometimes Natsu was more like an animal than he was a human. _And yet this is the guy you like... _Lucy groaned as the urge to smack her inner voice came over her. It always caused her nothing but conflict and turmoil with her feelings.

"You alright back there?" Natsu inquired as he heard Lucy's groan.

"Yeah, all good back here!" Lucy exclaimed sarcastically as she continued to be dragged around at mach-speed around the streets of Magnolia. Even if the Dragon Slayer acted upon sheer instinct so often to the point that he seemed like an animal sometimes, Lucy couldn't deny that care and concern were amongst the foremost of those instincts. Lost in her thoughts of her combustible partner, Lucy got the scare of her life when she was brought to a sudden halt, her momentum slamming her against Natsu's back as she clung on for dear life.

"What the heck, Natsu!?" the blonde screeched at the sudden stop.

Natsu turned around to look at the girl hugging him from behind and blinked at her casually. "What's the problem?" he inquired nonchalantly. "We're here."

Lucy blinked for a bit before peering out from Natsu's back to look at where he had dragged her. It was an innocent-looking enough eating establishment, with outdoor seating in front, something which the blonde loved.

"Let's sit out here!" she exclaimed delightedly to her partner.

"Uhh, yeah, sure. But Luce?" Natsu asked, looking Lucy in the eye.

The blonde blushed a little at the gaze that her friend was giving her. "What is it?" she asked.

"You can let go of my back anytime, now." the Dragon Slayer stated simply.

Lucy squeaked a bit before quickly unlatching her arms from Natsu's torso, throwing her hands behind her back, and looking away nervously. Natsu observed his partner's frantic actions with amusement, but he couldn't help but notice just how darn _cute_ she could be when she was flustered like that. Lucy looked back to Natsu and his stare did not go unnoticed.

"Uhh, do I have something on my face?" she asked with a nervous chuckle at Natsu's staring. She searched his eyes for answers about what he could be feeling at this moment, but the look he was giving her was somewhat new. It was almost...affectionate. Lucy's question snapped Natsu out of his thoughts, but before he could say something, a voice interrupted the pair.

"Would the lovely couple like to be seated?" asked a waiter as he bowed and motioned towards a table with two seats positioned across from the other.

"Couple!? We - " the fiery Natsu was about to defend himself before he felt Lucy cover his mouth from behind with both of her hands.

"We'll take that table, thanks!" the Celestial Spirit Mage quickly offered, dragging Natsu to their seats.

Once seated, Lucy gave her partner a stern and exasperated look. "Gosh, Natsu. Do you have to cause a scene everywhere we go?"

"Maybe if there weren't crazy people everywhere we went!" Natsu exclaimed.

"And you don't think you're crazy?" Lucy asked, an amused smile playing on her lips at Natsu's insistence that everyone around them was insane.

"Psh." the Dragon Slayer waved his hand dismissively at his partner's suggestion. "Do _you_ think I'm crazy?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at Lucy.

"Yes." was the simple reply from the blonde. As Natsu growled and prepared to argue for himself, Lucy cut him off. "But I like you that way." she added with a giggle as she took a sip out of her glass of water. Upon hearing these words, that funny feeling which was starting to become quite familiar once again hit Natsu in the gut. He looked across the table to find Lucy smiling fondly at him.

_You llliiiiiiike her_. The Dragon Slayer suddenly jumped as he looked around to find the furry creature who usually uttered that line.

"What's wrong, Natsu?" Lucy asked concernedly of her partner as she observed his eyes frantically darting around, trying to find something.

Failing to spot his longtime Exceed friend who had left on a mission with Wendy and Charle a few days ago, Natsu sighed as he relaxed his tensed state. _Now Happy's starting to bug me about this...and he's not even here _Natsu thought to himself with irritation.

"Nothin', just thought I heard something..." he responded instead, casually picking up the menu to look at its contents. He didn't want Lucy to be overly concerned on his behalf. At this, the Celestial Spirit Mage did the same, looking for something that was probably not going to be as extravagant as what Natsu would most likely order. She had a figure to maintain if she wanted to fit into those clothes that her partner liked so much, after all. Lucy blushed at the thought of watching her figure for that dummy. _I doubt he even cares about something like that_, she thought to herself with a chuckle.

The pair made pleasant conversation as they waited for their orders to arrive, both thinking to themselves that it was really rather nice to be spending time with the other like this. When their food arrived however, Natsu gave Lucy's plate a quizzical look.

"Is there a fly in my food or something?..." the blonde inquired, noticing the stare that her partner was giving her meal. In stark contrast to the many plates of assorted foods lined in front of the hungry Dragon Slayer, a simple salad dish was the only item on Lucy's side of the table.

"How can you eat just that!?" Natsu exclaimed, his voice almost a roar. "I thought you were hungry." he concluded, struggling to understand how someone could satisfy their appetite with such a miniscule platter.

"Well, unlike _some _people, I'm trying to watch how I look." Lucy responded, pointing a finger at Natsu. Lucy watched as the look on her friend's face became even more confused.

"I don't get it." he stated simply, causing the girl sitting across from him to facepalm in exasperation. "Ya look great. I'd rather have you eat something than collapse from hunger." he added nonchalantly, continue to work away at his food.

Lucy felt her cheeks heat up at Natsu's sort of-compliment. She noted with amusement at how Natsu was so much unlike anyone else she'd ever met, that she was actually surprised to hear him compliment her looks without her asking a question that would prompt him to do so. As Lucy ate and at the same time watched in awe at how the Dragon Slayer was wolfing down his food, a fond memory concerning the pink-haired mage suddenly came to her.

"Hey, Natsu?" the blonde spoke up, her soft voice coaxing even a hungry Natsu Dragneel currently in the process of stuffing his face to look up at her.

"'Sup?" was Natsu's response through his mouthfuls of food.

"Doesn't this remind you of the first time we met?" Lucy asked, fondly regarding her best friend with tender eyes.

At this, Natsu's eating became slower before coming to a stop entirely. With his arms folded across his chest, the Dragon Slayer closed his eyes in thought as he recalled that fateful day in his mind.

"Yup!" was the enthusiastic response from the salmon-haired mage. "Lucy paid for me and Happy's meal that day because we saved her from a jerk!" he finished, his recap of the day taking on his signature childishly simple manner.

"It seems like you're always saving me from jerks..." the Celestial Spirit Mage started softly, her hand suddenly moving across the table, almost against her will.

Natsu, on the other hand, was glad he wasn't eating at the moment, because he was pretty sure that what Lucy had just done would have put him in danger of choking if he was doing so. In her delicate moment of gratitude towards her partner, Lucy's hand had slid across the table, resting itself softly upon the Dragon Slayer's.

"I'm really glad I met you." the blonde continued. Though her voice was low, the quietness actually made her statement all the more loud and accentuated for Natsu's sensitive hearing. Natsu's hearing wasn't the only thing feeling sensitive however, a relentless clanging starting within his chest as he felt his partner's hand caress his own. Never having dealt with something like this before, Natsu could only gulp at his partner's actions.

Noting her friend's discomfort, Lucy looked up and snapped out of the trance that her heart had placed her in. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sor -" she attempted apologize and lift her hand off of Natsu's when something rather...unusual happened.

Rather than letting Lucy remove her hand from his, the Dragon Slayer opted instead to catch her hand as it about to leave his, intertwining her fingers in his.

"I'm glad I met you too." Natsu said, his signature fang-baring smile illuminating his face, though this smile was softer compared to the usual over-enthusiastic kind. "I'll always be there for you. You can bet on that." the salmon-haired mage proclaimed, his firm intent clear within his eyes.

The two gazed at each other, smiles playing on their faces. Nothing else in the world besides each other seemed to matter to them at the moment. Although it would certainly appear like a rather serene and calm scene to any onlookers, the same thought raced through the pair's minds as they felt themselves locked in this intimate moment.

_What in the world is going on right now...?_

* * *

Chapter 5, everybody! Now with extra, extra fluff! Apologies for the horrendously slow update. Got sucked into watching Kim Possible, a show that I had completely missed as a young'in. For those who have watched Kim Possible: Kim and Ron are the absolute cutest, aren't they? :D Anyway, as always, read, review, favorite, follow, or do whatever you like. Those things really do mean a lot to me, though, I can't stress that enough. A genuine thanks to everyone who's made my e-mail folder blink with notifications! I already have the premise for the next chapter; should be an interesting one. :P


	6. Chapter 6

As his eyes locked with the beautiful blonde in front of him, Natsu couldn't help but feel...complete. It was as though Lucy Heartfilia was filling a void within his soul that even he never knew existed. For some reason, the two of them, together like this, simply felt _right_ to the Dragon Slayer.

"Happy, do you see that?"

"Wow! They lllliiiiiiiike each other."

A sudden feeling of catastrophic doom engulfed the lovey-dovey pair as they worked up the nerve to look up and find the source of those troublesome words.

"Ha-Happy!?" Natsu and Lucy said in unison, the terror clear in their voices.

"Don't forget about us!" Wendy spoke up from behind Happy, Charle snuggled in her arms as usual.

"How shameless, acting that way out in public like this." the female Exceed stated, though a blush tinted her face even as she made her disparaging remark.

"I-It's not what it looks like!" Lucy squeaked out, frantically searching for a way out of this situation. "We were just, uh..." was her feeble attempt.

"Well, we better leave these two _lovebirds_ alone." Charle spoke up again, making sure to put emphasis on her descriptive word of the Dragon Slayer and the Celestial Spirit Mage.

"Aye, sir! Natsu, I'm gonna go back to our place. That mission was really exhausting." Happy said, earning a weak nod from the shaken salmon-haired mage.

As the interrupting trio made their way from Natsu and Lucy's table back to their respective residences, the two partners sat and ate in silence as they contemplated what had just happened.

* * *

"Wow, man, that really hit the spot!" the Dragon Slayer spoke up some time later, patting his gorged stomach in contentment.

Lucy couldn't help but laugh a little at how quickly Happy and Charle's comments blew over for Natsu. "Yeah, that was good food." the blonde agreed. "I think we should ask for the check, now." she finished...and then immediately noticed the look of dismay which took over her partner's face.

A waiter soon came to deliver the check, which the Dragon Slayer immediately snatched and then thoroughly examined. Lucy waited as her partner gave the check about twenty glance-overs, before he lowered the offending item from his face, a look of horror etched on his features.

Seeing this look on his face, Lucy hurriedly attempted to reassure Natsu. "You don't have to pay for all of it if you can't." she said quickly, not wanting her partner to bankrupt himself for her sake.

"No...no." Natsu said firmly, though some depression lingered in his voice. "It's your special day!" he finished, a smile plastered on his face, as he rubbed his partner's blonde hair.

Lucy blushed at the affection her partner was showing her today, and noted with amusement at how quickly his smile dropped as he dared to look at the check again.

After having paid the restaurant for their food, though not without some grumblings about 'highway robbery' and 'not even that much to eat' from the Dragon Slayer, the pair walked in comfortable silence as the sun began to set on the day. Lucy once again looped her arm through Natsu's and rested her head comfortably on his shoulder, just as she had done when the day first started. She couldn't help but notice that this time, the pink-haired mage seemed a lot less stiff than when she had first done this. He even seemed to be leaning into her a little bit as they walked the streets of Magnolia, their rather pleasant day winding down.

"I had a lot of fun today." the Celestial Spirit Mage spoke up, as she glanced at Natsu. She couldn't help but notice as well that her partner could look dashingly handsome when his face wasn't the spitting image of the chaos and disorder that he liked so much. At this point in time, the Dragon Slayer was giving her an attentive look, a soft smile on his lips. "I'm glad we did this." she finished, very content with how the day's happenings had turned out, even if there was somewhat of an interruption while they were eating. _More importantly, holding hands, right Lucy?_ And there it was, that voice that just wouldn't leave the blonde alone. She had to admit that though, that...holding hands with her partner back at the table wasn't half bad.

Natsu breathed a sigh of relief, eliciting a curious look from his best friend. "Does that mean you're not mad at me anymore?" he asked, hopeful that this day had at least somewhat made up for his previous gaffe on their mission.

Lucy looked into her partner's eyes. She was surprised that the notion that she might still be mad at him weighed so heavily on Natu's mind. At the same time though, she was appreciative of how much she meant to her fiery Dragon Slayer partner, and vice-versa as well. "Don't be silly," Lucy said softly. "I already thanked you for standing up for me in front of our client. Even if punching him in the face was a little extreme." she made her last remark with a giggle.

"Well, if Lucy's happy then I'm happy." was the response by Natsu. His partner quickly looked away, not wanting him to see her face turn red, a hot blush spreading across her cheeks at her teammate's sweet words.

Before they knew it, they had made their way back to Lucy's house. Despite neither of them having determined where they were going after they had finished eating, they found themselves standing in front of the blonde's apartment anyway. For Lucy, it was instinct from having lived there ever since she had joined Fairy Tail. For Natsu, it was instinct from having snuck in there without his partner's consent ever since she had joined Fairy Tail. Assessing the situation, Lucy sighed.

"I suppose you're coming in?" she asked presumptively of her partner, though she felt like she already knew the answer to that question.

"Can I?" the Dragon Slayer asked, rubbing the back of his head, a sheepish smile on his face.

"Fine." Lucy responded playfully, mock exasperation in her voice.

Before they knew it, the pair had talked and laughed the day away in Lucy's little apartment, which both of them had come to call home.

"Natsu?" the Celestial Spirit mage started.

"'Sup?"

"What are some things that get you angry?" was the question posed by the blonde.

"Well," the Dragon Slayer started, scratching his head in thought. "Gray. People who think that I can't beat them up. People who disrespect Fairy Tail. People who disrespect you. Getting tickled."

As Natsu seemed primed to go even further down the list, Lucy interrupted him. "Getting...tickled?" she asked, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Oh yeah, I hate that stuff. When I got my payback on Erza during that whole Jellal thing...that was awesome." the pink-haired mage answered dreamily, still reliving that moment of glory in his head.

"You...tickled Erza in the middle of a fight?" Lucy asked, sweatdropping at Natsu's brazenness.

"Yup! Awesome, like I said." was the affirmative response by the clearly insane Dragon Slayer.

As she thought about how preposterous the whole scenario sounded, a look suddenly came across the Celestial Spirit Mage's face. This change in her expression didn't exactly make her partner comfortable, as he glanced nervously at the blonde.

"Uhh, Luce?" Natsu gulped.

Ignoring her partner's call, Lucy made her way over to Natsu, before giving him a quick tickle on his sides. The salmon-haired mage had to quickly put his hand over his mouth to suppress a chortle. Noting how ticklish her friend was, Lucy laughed hard at having discovered some sort of weakness to Natsu.

"Oh...that was funny, huh?"

The blonde looked up to find Natsu hovering over her, a dark smile plastered on his face. Her eyes widened as she gulped nervously. She was beginning to regret her playful action. Before she had time to process her fear, she was besieged by an all-out assault on her sides, as her partner rapidly tickled her, ignoring her pleas for mercy.

"Natsu...stop!" the blonde managed to eek out through her laughter and tears, having been tickled all the way to her bed. Without an end to the tickling in sight however, Lucy resorted to something that she knew would make him stop. With one swift motion, she reached her head up and gave Natsu a swift peck on the cheek. Her calculations proved to be correct, as the Dragon Slayer immediately stopped what he was doing, and looked down at the panting blonde beneath him, his eyes wide in shock.

"Wha-What was that?" he asked breathlessly of his partner, in utter disbelief over what had just happened.

"You wouldn't stop." was the simple reply from the blonde.

A silence washed over them, as the two stared into each other's eyes in their compromising position, Lucy beneath Natsu on her bed after having been tickled damn near to oblivion. The blonde placed her hands on Natsu's face and pulled him closer to her.

"We all have to find love someday, Natsu." was Lucy's simple statement to her best friend. As bold as she knew that her statement was, even she couldn't know how much those words were affecting the Dragon Slayer at that moment in time.

* * *

Chapter 6, y'all! What could those words mean to our clueless Natsu! I sure don't know :P As always, read, review, favorite, follow, or do whatever you like. Your feedback really does mean a lot to me!


	7. Chapter 7

_We all have to find love someday..._

Lucy honestly didn't have a clue why she said those words to her partner. She could not fathom what she was even trying to accomplish when she made that statement. It was something that she needed to get off her chest, even if it meant smothering the Dragon Slayer's in return. She looked up to see how Natsu was taking all this as he laid motionless on top of her. His eyes reflected perfectly the surprise and shock that Lucy's words had managed to cause. She prepared to speak up in order to break Natsu out of his spell when suddenly, his eyes appeared to regain their focus as he looked down at the blonde beneath him.

Contrary to the how the rest of the guild (and everyone else who'd ever met him for that matter) viewed him, Natsu could sometimes be prone to those soft and tender feelings that he appeared to detest so much. Of course, he hadn't really started feeling those emotions until Lucy had entered his life, and with each passing day that he spent with her, those feelings were getting stronger and stronger within his being. The rare days that he didn't get to see Lucy had started to feel extremely tedious at first, but as time went on, that feeling evolved into a rather strong loneliness. He felt somewhat guilty that this was even the case, given that he had Happy and everyone else in the guild, but Lucy filled an entirely different chamber in his heart that no one else could. It was a space that he never knew he had the capacity for feeling, but that room had only become available as he and Lucy grew closer and closer.

_We all have to find love someday..._

Natsu growled at how much that statement was bothering him. Even if he was a blockhead of epic proportions, even he would admit that that particular statement was somewhat of a given. So why was it that at this point in time, those words were eating at him so much? The Dragon Slayer searched and searched before the answer finally hit him. He discovered that Lucy's words bothered him precisely because they were coming from _her_. The thought of Lucy ever finding love with someone made him want to utterly tear apart whoever that 'someone' may be. Sharing his partner with some guy was something he was not prepared to do. It wasn't something he was sure he could _ever_ do. _Could the two of us ever find love with each other... _the Dragon Slayer thought wistfully in his head.

_Crap. I think I'm in love_. And with that, Natsu knew he was in trouble as he gazed at the girl beneath him. It might've taken him a while, but he was starting to think that everyone else may have had a point about his and Lucy's relationship.

"Lucy, I -" Natsu started finally, his voice somewhat strained. The blonde gazed at him in anticipation, wondering what the pink-haired mage had finally broken the silence to say. "I...I think I'm gonna go check on how Happy's doing." he finished, leaving the blonde utterly flabbergasted. After all that silence, and that look of disbelief in Natsu's eyes, _that_ was what he had to say? She felt like screaming, like tearing her hair out, but she could only muster a weak whimper as her partner got off of her.

Sparing his partner one last glance as he made his way towards her door, Natsu offered her a wave.

"Night, Luce." he said simply, before opening and closing the door, leaving Lucy by herself to contemplate what had just happened.

The blonde sat up on her bed, burying her face in her knees. She felt that this was the point where tears were supposed to come, but no matter how empty she felt at the moment, the tears refused to fall. _I screwed it all up..._ she thought to herself, sadness and depression overcoming her feelings. _Why couldn't I just leave it all alone. Why couldn't I just be happy with that idiot as a friend...Lucy you idiot._

The Celestial Spirit Mage looked sadly out her window, feeling utterly defeated. _He didn't even leave through the window..._

Natsu stumbled around in a daze through the streets of Magnolia, and then through the forest before finally coming to his and Happy's little house in the woods.

"Happy." he called out quietly, softly opening and closing the door behind him as he entered their house. The sound of the Exceed's soft snoring greeted the Dragon Slayer, and for the first time in a while, Natsu gave off a soft smile. Even if the things around him were changing much too rapidly for his own liking, he could at least depend on his old furry companion to be a constant in his life.

Letting out a prolonged sigh, the pink-haired mage collapsed onto his hammock, face-down. The rather traumatic events of the day ran circles through Natsu's mind, as he attempted to will himself to fall asleep. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, sleep overtook the Dragon Slayer's weary body. His mind however, was another story.

_"Natsu, you imbecile!"_

_Hearing his name, Natsu blinked as he looked around him, trying to figure out where he was. The problem was, however, that he didn't seem to be...anywhere. There was but a black floor beneath him while everything else seemed like an endless red sky. It was quite a formidable sight. The Dragon Slayer tried to gain his bearings as he called out for any sort of answer. _

_"Where am I?" Natsu shouted. _

_"How long do you plan to waste your time like this?" was the response. It was a thunderous and booming voice that reached Natsu's ears. Even for Natsu, this voice was just a bit on the intimidating side. However, as he cleared the fogginess out of his mind, Natsu soon found the voice strangely...familiar. _

_"I-Igneel!?" the Dragon Slayer screamed into the void, the possibility of finally seeing his adoptive dragon father again racing through his mind. _

_"What was it that I told you about Dragon Slayers and their mates, Natsu?" the voice rumbled back, bypassing Natsu's question. Natsu groaned in disbelief over the fact that this was what who he was assuming to be Igneel, was choosing to talk to him about after all the time that they'd been apart. _

_"I dunno," Natsu admitted, rubbing the back of his pink hair. "I never really paid attention when you were talking to me about that stuff." he finished, chuckling sheepishly with his confession. _

_A sigh was the response from the omnipresent voice, although even a sigh from the powerful entity resembled more of a low roar. "I'm only going to say this one more time." the voice said, his tone serious to emphasize the importance of his lesson. "A human given the magic of the dragons cannot reasonably live their lives without a mate. It's a basic tenant of being a Dragon Slayer." the voice finished, leaving Natsu to contemplate what this all meant. _

_"Igneel..." Natsu started tentatively. "Why are you talking to me about this when you've been gone for so long. I wanna know where you've been, and what you've been doing, and..." the salmon-haired mage tried to finish, before feeling his voice choke up, overwhelmed by the fact that he was making any sort of contact at all with the Dragon who'd raised him as a child. _

_A sigh was again heard from the voice in the sky, although this one was softer than the last. "Tell me honestly, over this past stretch of time, who have you thought about more often? Myself, or that Lucy person you've grown so fond of?" was the question posed to Natsu. _

_The Dragon Slayer took a minute to think about that question, before his eyes widened as the realization dawned on him. He admitted guiltily to his conscience that whereas spending time and having fun and just being close to Lucy preoccupied a lot of his days, his original goal of finding his adoptive father became more of a waning thought in his head. _

_"Do not be sad, Natsu." the voice spoke up again, prompting Natsu to look up. "If this person is that important to you, then you must make sure never to lose her." the voice finished. _

_Upon hearing these words, Natsu was left completely speechless. He was beginning to realize what it was that he had to do when the voice spoke up again, momentarily shaking the Dragon Slayer from his thoughts._

_"After all." the voice started, his tone somewhat sardonic. "We all have to find love someday, right?" the voice concluded, booming with laughter at that last statement. _

_The Dragon Slayer growled at the mocking he was having to put up with, and was about to speak up before he suddenly felt a violent shaking. _

"Natsu! Natsu!"

* * *

Now that was truly some unexpected help. :P Next chapter will be up within the week, as I already have it written. Please review, favorite, or follow if you've enjoyed this story. I really, _really_ do appreciate the feedback that everyone leaves. Don't hesitate to make my e-mail blink with notifications. It makes me happy :D


	8. Chapter 8

"Natsu! Natsu!"

"Wha-What just happened!?" the pink-haired mage shouted, jumping up from the hammock with a start. He looked around to find himself back in his house, his faithful feline companion hovering above him with a concerned look on his face.

"You were making some weird noises in your sleep, Natsu." Happy started, concern lacing his voice. "Were you having a bad dream?"

"Something like that..." Natsu responded pensively.

Happy continued to float around his longtime friend, before Natsu suddenly looked up to give him a smile.

"I'm fine, Happy." he stated, trying to reassure the Exceed. "I just need to take a walk right now. You go back to sleep." he finished, giving his partner a comforting pat on the head before leaving his house.

As the Dragon Slayer wandered the streets of Magnolia, the extremely vivid dream he'd just had continued to run through his mind. Though it was somewhat hazy now, he still recalled most of what Igneel, or who he assumed to be Igneel, had tried to convey to him. It had never occurred to him, but Igneel was right. Despite how much his adoptive father's absence used to weigh on his soul, Lucy had lifted some, if not most, of that heavy burden from his being. She remedied those feelings of loneliness with her smiles and laughter. More and more, loneliness was the feeling of Lucy not being around, rather than Igneel not being there anymore.

Looking up momentarily to see where he had wandered off to while he was away in his thoughts, Natsu gave off a wry chuckle. Even without thinking about going there, he once again managed to end up right in front of Lucy's house. Natsu looked up at the skies to find a sun that had just risen. He took a seat on a bench, gazing up at the window that he'd climbed into so many times in the past. As fuzzy thoughts of his blonde partner began to overtake his mind, the Dragon Slayer felt himself again about to drift off to sleep before he was interrupted.

"Yo, what're you doing here so early in the morning, flamebrain?"

Natsu groaned, knowing exactly who that voice belonged to. "I'm just...thinkin' about stuff." the pink-haired mage said in a non-committal manner. He'd be damned if even Gray was going to be dragged into this whole mess. Even Igneel had managed to find his way into this ordeal, albeit in Natsu's dream.

Though slightly taken aback by the fact that his words hadn't irritated Natsu enough to start a fight, Gray decided to speak his mind, anyway. "Thinkin' about Lucy?"

If he'd been drinking something at the moment, the Dragon Slayer would probably have spat out his drink. _How is everyone onto me!? _he thought to himself incredulously.

Gray smirked to himself in satisfaction over how his rival's body had immediately tensed up. However, he took it upon himself to sit down next to the salmon-haired mage to offer some words of advice.

"Listen, man," the Ice-Make Mage started. "I know how close the two of you are. Starin' up at her through her window like some kind of freak isn't gonna get the two of you closer together. You know that there are a lot of guys who'd like to be with her just for her looks alone. You can't keep her off the market without letting her see anyone for the rest of her life." Gray finished, looking over at Natsu for a reaction. However, the pair soon found yet another party willing to interject on the matter.

"Juvia agrees with Gray-sama!"

Both Gray and Natsu stared at the Rain Mage who'd suddenly appeared from behind a tree, causing her to blush a little. However, she decided to keep going.

"Girls like Lucy-san are not meant to be alone forever." Juvia said thoughtfully. "Juvia believes that Natsu-san can definitely make Lucy-san his." she concluded, giving the Dragon Slayer a look of determination.

Natsu stared wide-eyed at both his rival and the eccentric girl who'd suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Gray and Juvia stared back at Natsu, observing as he stood up quickly from the bench, a confident look in his eyes.

"Thanks." he said, before running off, leaving Gray and Juvia to look as the dust cloud that was a running Natsu as it got farther and farther away in the distance.

"Gray-sama's speech was beautiful." Juvia suddenly spoke up, sensing that they were finally alone. _Hopefully this finally removes my romantic rival from contention! _she thought to herself gleefully.

"Uhh, thanks, Juvia." was Gray's uncomfortable response as he noticed an unusual excitement emanating from the Rain Mage. He once again looked over in the direction that the Dragon Slayer had ran off in, as he thought about the situation.

"Not even Natsu can mess this up...I think." was Gray's final statement on the matter, as he and Juvia prepared to make their way towards the guild.

* * *

More people step up to help our favorite Dragon Slayer dummy! Seems the pieces have finally clicked together for Natsu, though. How will he respond? :P Anyway, if you enjoyed the story enough, please review, favorite, or follow. Everyone's feedback really does mean a whole lot to me! E-mail notifications for my stories make me very happy. :D


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